Every few seconds there is a home burglary being committed somewhere in the US. When you think about facts like that, it can make you a bit nervous about your own place. Though you may do your best to keep your house protected on the daily basis, when you’re away for days, weeks, or months, security can get a bit tricky. The longer the home is unoccupied, the higher your chances are of dealing with theft. To minimize these risks, you must take extra precautions to keep the property safe.
Get Your Mail Digitally
If you’re going to be away for a while, the mail is going to pile up. Allowing it to do so in your mailbox is a surefire way to let outsiders know that nobody is home. Since you might need important mail while away for so long, you can invest in a virtual mailbox service. Instead of having your mail delivered to your home it is sent to the service company and scanned in. You can view the scanned mail if necessary and keep your home safe.
Get Packages Delivered to a Locker
If you live in a gated community or apartment building and plan on being away for a while, you may want to think about those packages. Particularly around the holidays, package delivery peaks. While you’re gone for an extended period, should packages start piling up at your door, it’s going to create suspicion. Instead, find out if your property manager, housing authority, or landlord has access to a service where you can be assigned a parcel locker so your packages are kept safe and out of the view of outsiders until you return home.
Keep Cars in the Driveway
The idea is to create the illusion that someone is in residence, so thieves don’t mark your home as a target. One way to do this would be to keep a car parked in the driveway instead of putting it in the garage. If you plan on taking your car with you, you can ask a neighbor to park in your driveway from time to time. This way, if a burglar is in the area, they’ll see the cars parked there and think twice.
Keep the Lawn Cleaned
A dead giveaway that a home hasn’t been occupied for a while is the landscaping. Tall grass and unpruned trees and bushes allude to passersby that no one is there, nor will they be coming back anytime soon. To minimize the risk of having your home burglarized, you should arrange for the lawn to be taken care of. This includes having the grass cut and/or having snow removed in the winter months. You can set up a contract with a local landscaping company and pay in advance, so they can complete services while you’re away.
Install a Lot of Outside Lighting
A well-lit property is one that a burglar is going to want to stay away from. If you’re going to be gone for some time, do yourself a favor and install some outdoor lighting. A motion light for the front and back of the house as well as yard or tiny landscaping lights around the walkways will give off enough light. Now, should someone step onto your property that shouldn’t be there, your neighbors can see and quickly contact the authorities.
Use Your Smartphone
Home security isn’t cheap by any means. If you’re trying to keep your home safe on a budget, you can bypass the fancy home security systems and use your smartphone. If you have laptops or desktop computers in the home with a camera, you can connect the camera feed to your smartphone using an app and get a view of your home no matter where you are.
Stay Off Social Media
It might be tempting to check in on social media and share pictures of your vacation or time away, but it can be the very thing that gets your home burglarized. It is best to keep all news of your travels off social media until you’ve safely returned. This way, no one gets the news that you’re gone.
It’s unfortunate that there are some many burglaries in the country today, but you must protect your home. When you’re going to be away for weeks or months at a time, you must do your best to make it appear as though you never left. The above-mentioned ideas will help you create the illusion that someone is there and keep your home safe from intruders.
